When it comes to making jams, jellies and preserves, the recipes call for sugar — usually lots of sugar.
A recipe for classic strawberry jam in “Better Homes and Gardens Jams & Jellies” (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $19.99) callsfor 7 cups of sugarto 12 cups of strawberries and a 1.75-ounce package of pectin.
Many canning books warn that you mustn't alter the recipe at all. Don’t double it, and be sure to usethe exact amount of sugar that's called for.
"They tell you not to alter because it’s the ratio of fruit, acid, sugar and pectin that forms the jell," says Robin Danto, MSU Extension educator for Oakland County.If you don't have the right amount of sugar, you run the risk of the jam or jelly being runny.
There are products out there, however, that offer help if you want to cut down onsugar.
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One of my colleagues who makes a variety of delicious jams every summertold me about Pomona’s Universal Pectin. She picked it up at Western Market in Ferndale. What caught her eye was wording on the package describing it as a pectin that “jells with low amounts of any sweetener” and that contains no preservatives. In each package, there'sa packet of calcium that you mix with water, and it'sthe calciumwater,insteadof the sugar, that activatesthe pectin. In an e-mail, Pomona's wrote that the calcium it usesis"monocalcium phosphate, which is afood-grade rock mineral source."
Thesheet of instructions inside the box is thorough. Contrary to common wisdom, the Pomona's instructions say you can double, triple or halve the recipes. And even though Pomona's says no sweetener is needed with its product, it still recommends using sugar, honey, stevia or Splenda.
At Western Market, a 1.1-ounce box of Pomona's is $5.79.The websitehttp://www.pomonapectin.comsays the product is also sold at Holiday Market in Royal Oak and Whole Foods Market. There's a store locator option on the website.
Other products
The Ball brand of home canning products makes a low-sugar/no-sugar pectin.
Sure-Jell, a dry premium fruit pectin from theKraft Heinz Co.,has alow-sugar optioIt calls for using 25 percent less sugar than you'd use withregular pectin.
What is pectin?
Pectin is found in many fruits. It’s what gives jams and jellies their thickness and texture. Fruits like apples and grapes have high amounts of pectin, enough to thicken a jam on its own. Jams and jellies made with other fruits, however, need the pectin to help reach the right consistency.Pectin is sold in liquid and powder forms and in several sizes.
Fruit spreads by name
Jam: Made by cooking crushed or chopped fruit with sugar until it’s thick. It has visible pieces of fruit.
Jelly: Made from fruit juice, sugar and pectin. You can extract the juice from fruit or buy fruit juice.
Preserves: Chunks of fruit in a soft jelly. Think marmalade. The fruit pieces are large and retain the texture of the fruit.
Chutney: A mix of fruit, vinegar, sugar and spices. It can have a chunkytexture or be finely chopped.
Contact Susan Selasky at 313-222-6872 or sselasky@freepress.com. Follow @SusanMariecooks on Twitter.
